Then we feature for the first time Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States and author of The Humane Economy: Animal Protection 2.0, How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals in America.

Wayne is a compelling speaker and he answered some pointed questions straight on. This is one interview you don’t want to miss. A couple of wonderful quotes I caught (I may not have every word just right — you’ll hear these when you listen to the show):

“We want to prevail for animals, and we do that by amassing power and strength.”

“Animal exploitation is about misuse of power.”

“You cannot be a bystander in the face of this kind of suffering. And it’s going to take more than those of us who have been around for years. We need new blood.”

Wayne also used a phrase I’d never heard before but that I will be using in the future: “anti-cruelty principles.” I like this a lot. There are certain convictions that resist cruelty in all its forms, and I don’t know of a better term for them than this.

Main Street Vegan is a live radio show every Wednesday, 3 pm U.S. Eastern Time, on Unity Online Radio, the Voice of an Awakening World. You can listen live at www.unity.fm and call in (816-347-5519) from anywhere on earth to ask your questions of Victoria and her guests. You can use that same url to listen to any of the live programs Unity Online Radio offers.

Or listen to our podcast — along with five years of archived programming — here. You can also subscribe on iTunes.

"The great news these days is that vegan living is for everyone. This is such an important message, and I applaud Victoria and JL for their beautiful book that will help so many people renew their commitment to a vegan lifestyle or find the courage to take the first steps." - Emily Deschanel